I can't pretend that I don't see you
by xLix
Summary: AU! Miley Stewart, a.k.a Hannah Montana moves from Tenessee to Malibu after a little secret was revealed, forcing her to give up her old life. Now she hopes everything gets better, but she didn't expect to meet a certain person who would change her life forever. LILEY!
1. Who's that girl?

Hello guys!

This is my first story in the Hannah Montana fandom and I hope you won't be too harsh to me. This story will be about _**Liley **_and their special relationship, so don't like, don't read. I know the start isn't as exciting as it could be, but please bear with me, okay? I am not a native speaker of the English language and regularly mess up my grammar. I really try to get things right, but if you spot any mistakes - please, tell me :-)

**Update**: This chapter has been checked for spelling and grammar mistakes by my beta, the wonderful **_Jewel Queen_**. Thank you so much!

Rating is T because of language, violence and stuff mentioned. I'd like to avoid explicit sex scenes, so don't expect too much from me.

I do not own Hannah Montana or anything.

And now, on with the story!

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Lilly Truscott grabbed her skateboard and shoved it into her locker, not caring whether or not she damaged any of her books. She was pissed off – _really_ pissed off. Who did he think he was?

Oliver Oken. Her best friend since kindergarten. The one she told everything to, the only one who knew her little secrets here and there, the only one that she was one hundred percent sure would never betray her. She had thought he'd always be there for her when she needed him, just like she was for him. Like that time, when he fell in love with Joannie and had his heart broken.

And now, she _needed_ him to understand and to be by her side. The only problem with all that was that, well, he wasn't there. And she couldn't be mad at him, for after all he had his own life and problems to worry about. Still... it pained her deeply.

_"Oliver?" Lilly asked. She could feel his stare landing upon her, confused and curious at the same time. _

_"Yeah?" He gave her a small smile, encouraging her to go on._

_"You know... I need to tell you something. It's about him," she started, unsure whether she should continue or not. She instantly regretted saying anything at all as soon as she saw Oliver's face. The smile had disappeared and an angry look had replaced every understanding and care for her that had been there before. _

_"Come on, Lilly, you can't be serious! You cannot be talking about that again. It happened two years ago. You have to let it go or else it will consume and break you. Let him go. He's gone." His voice was agitated and Lilly saw his jaw muscles tensing. Suddenly, she felt herself loosing it. _

_"What do YOU know?! Why the fuck do you have to be so..." she cried, fighting for words that wouldn't come out, because she knew. He was right, in a way. Still, how was she supposed to let go? It wasn't normal and he should understand. Angry tears formed in her blue eyes which stared right into the brown orbs of her best friend. _

_His hands tightened into fists at what he saw there. He cared for her, deeply, but he also couldn't understand her. No one could or would – and she couldn't really blame them, could she? She didn't understood herself most of the time – it was ridiculous. _

_"You're right," she suddenly croaked and she blinked heavily.  
_

_Suddenly, Oliver was at her side. He held her. His grip on her was soothing, brought her back into reality and grounded her. Sometimes, he was like a tree for her – standing steady and unchanged by the seasons and fading time. She held onto him tightly, not wanting to be alone, not wanting him to go. _

_"I'm sorry, Oliver, I just lost it," she whispered into his ear._

_ Slowly, she withdrew from the embrace to look at him. She wanted her eyes to convey everything she was feeling inside, her gratefulness for his presence and loyal friendship. She was thankful, and she didn't want him to think otherwise, even though they had yelled at each other._

_ She felt a hand at her back, drawing circles to calm her down. Hot breath against her own left ear, "I love you, but I can't see you that way - everytime you talk about this, you are so upset, and I don't like it. Please, Lilly.. Stop breaking yourself." Tears pricked her eyes._

Then he had left, because the school bell had rung and he was going to be late for class.

As soon as his soothing and loving touch left her, all the positive emotions she'd felt seemed to seep out of her body, leaving only anger and helplessness behind. She was stupid, she scolded herself. Of course, it had been two years, but Oliver didn't know the news. She'd seen him again last weekend – and she wished with all her might she hadn't. The picture she had of him had further crumbled, had taken damage and was so disrupted that she felt like she never really knew him at all.

"Daddy," she said softly to herself as she was standing alone in the hallway besides her locker. All the other kids were either already in class or had to come in later, like herself. She was early because she had needed to talk to Oliver. And what good that had done.

She decided to go outside to get a whiff of fresh air before her own classes began. Once she had stepped out of the building she sat down on the stone steps that lead in or out of her high school. She let her mind tune out, not paying attention to the cars that were pulling into the school's parking lot or the few students scattered about. Slowly, she began to feel calmer and her mind began to wander. Blaming only her father for her shattered family wasn't right, and she knew it. Still, it was easier to have a single culprit instead of having to face the issues that had been there as long as she could remember.

He ran away, left her mother and her alone to fend for themselves, in a way, but he had never stopped caring for his daughter. He'd always make sure she had everything she needed money-wise. She would never have to feel hungry or cold because she had nowhere to go, that was not it. She was actually pretty well off, but it was the lack of love she received that hurt her. She carved human touch, embraces, someone in her life who told her they loved her and that they would never leave her.

Lilly sighed. Her mother couldn't be that person. She was so preoccupied with distracting herself and closing her eyes to this mess which was their life together that she couldn't see how much her own daughter hurt, there, right in front of her. There were always conferences to attend, business trips to plan, the occasional date to go to...

Suddenly a commotion broke out and Lilly snapped back into reality. She had zoned out for twenty minutes said her watch, and suddenly there were quite a lot of people in front of her school going and coming, walking in groups or pairs. She noticed a group, a circle of people that seemed to close in on a single girl. The air around her suddenly felt hot and tense, even though it was February so that the weather couldn't be to blame for the sudden change of atmosphere.

Normally, she wouldn't do anything and just make her way out. She wasn't exactly the most popular girl in school, with her being a skater girl, and sporty girl, some kind of tomboy. The other girls just looked at her as if she were beneath them, not worthy of their attention while most guys just ignored her. She had a few guy friends but it was only Oliver whom she could trust and with whom she had a _real_ friendship. Sad, isn't it? To have virtually only one friend? She couldn't care less, normally, and with her air of inconspicuousness around her, she wasn't noticed all too often – which helped a lot, because if people couldn't _see _you_,_ they wouldn't bully you.

So, usually, she'd just go and be relieved to be left in peace but somehow she felt the need to do something this time. Her legs seemed to have a life of their own as they were already carrying her to where the group was while she still considering if she should act or not.

"So, we've found ourselves a little hillbilly, now, have we?" she heard a girl she recognized to be Amber spitting. This was followed by a little sound of whimpering that seemed to shoot right into the center of Lilly's heart.

It was so soft, so helpless, filled with a pain that couldn't have been brought up only by this single comment. No, that girl she could see clearly now and that had long brown curls, had been hurt deeply in her past, long before she ever came to this school. She must be new, because Lilly didn't recall seeing her ever before. And, she didn't want to brag, but she was one of these people who noticed such things, little things that seemed to be overlooked by most. She'd never have overlooked this girl, she thought.

She was quite pretty actually, the way she stood there in her faded jeans and cute check shirt, along with her boots that seemed to belong to the countryside rather than Malibu. So that's why they called her hillbilly. It might not have been the smartest move to wear that stuff, but that didn't allow her classmates to make fun of her, now did it? Shocking herself and everyone standing around that poor girl, Lilly's voice boomed across the courtyard.

"Get off her, now!" Amber, Ashley and their crowd all turned around simultaneously at the sound of her voice. They were looking at her with mouths agape. Lilly herself was startled and suddenly hear palms began to sweat. That was definitely not good. She'd drawn attention, rule number one broken. Never draw attention to yourself, and you'll be fine. _Shit_. Maybe she should just run and pretend like nothing happened?

It took only one look at the girl in the centre of the circle to stop her mind from making escape plans. The way she looked at her send chills down her spine. She could see tears in the other girl's eyes but they were unshed, proudly held in. She couldn't help herself; she felt admiration for this girl well up within her heart.

Lilly swallowed and took a step forward, hesitantly, unsure of herself. Somehow she had lost the strength that seemed to reside within her just a few moments ago. She was intimidated and rightly so, for here she was pissing off Amber, the queen of the school, the one girl that could make your life hell around here.

"Now, what do you want Truscott? Playing hero? Get lost," Amber said and Ashley immediately repeated "Yeah, get lost." Like a puppy.

Lilly was taken aback for a moment, seeing that she was alone against a group of seven girls; seven _popular_ girls, to make matters worse. If only Oliver could see her like this, she thought. He'd be surprised but she could imagine his little smile, showing he was proud of her. It _was _the right thing to do, no matter the consequences.

She walked right into the circle, not looking left or right until she came to a stop besides the pretty brunette. "No. I won't go away," she announced stubbornly.

Amber glared at her and walked up to her. "You know this isn't funny, Truscott. You're getting yourself into trouble here, defending that hillbilly," she screeched with that annoying high-pitched voice of hers. Lilly knew it very well, too, but she stood her ground. It was too late to back down anyway, she thought, and now she didn't want to give Amber or anyone the satisfaction to see her surrender.

The bell sounded, the signal that they all had to go to class and it made Lilly flinch. Suddenly, she felt Amber's hand at her shoulder, her long nails clawing into her skin, drawing blood. "You've made yourself an enemy, Truscott, and you are going to regret it," she said and then, leaning in closer, "No one makes me look like an idiot. Just wait. You'll get your payback soon enough, _skater-girl._" Then, she let go of her shoulder and strutted to class, her whole gang right on her heels.

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I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story! I am not sure if this is worth continuing, so tell me if you are willing to accompany me while I try to tell this story. It has some autobiographical traits in it, although huge parts come straight from my mind and never happened in real life. On a side-note: I am not gay and I really hope I will be able to capture the Liley relationship in a way that is appropriate and lives up to what they deserve.

**Read & review, please.** It is the thing that helps me the most because I can see if you like the story or not.

I'll try to put up the next chapter within the week.

I have updated this chapter and changed some mistakes I had made, so, sorry for that!


	2. Good times don't last

Hello again everybody :)

I said I would update within the week, so I did my best to keep my promise. I actually finished the chapter sooner than I thought, so well, here's the second chapter of the story.

I am glad some of you seem interested in following my ramblings ;)

But before we start, I wanted to thank _**Jewel Queen** _who really encourages me to go on and is just a wonderful betareader and person :)

Now, on with the story! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Something soft touched her shoulder, the same shoulder Amber had dug her nails into and Lilly recoiled. "Sorry," she heard a small voice say. It took only a few seconds for Lilly to realized who had touched her and she relaxed; the brunette.

"No problem. It's just...I wasn't expecting you to...touch me," she stuttered. She turned to look at the girl and found herself captivated by the shimmering blue eyes in front of her. She could still see the moisture residing within them from tears not wept, but the expression they held was one of curiosity and her gaze was filled with warmth. Lilly slowly drew a deep breath, dumbfounded.

"I'm Miley. Thank you for...well, this," the brunette declared, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Sure, I mean, um, it's no problem." She tried to give Miley a reassuring smile, feeling shaky. Miley returned the favour, and the light smile that tugged her lips upwards brought Lilly back into reality. "I am Lilly, by the way. Oh, well, actually it's Lillian Truscott, but only my mother calls me Lillian and Truscott isn't exactly my favourite nickname, if you catch my drift, so I'd be happy if you stick with Lilly," said Lilly and extended her hand. Miley grinned at her and took the offered hand without hesitation.

"Are you new here? I haven't seen you around. Maybe I can help you and show you around?" Suddenly, she wanted to make this girl feel as comfortable as possible. She wanted to make up for everything Amber and her puppets had done to her. It was a strange feeling, almost as if she wasn't in full control of her own thoughts and feelings. And because she felt this way, Lilly panicked a bit seeing Miley's smile falter.

Well done, _Truscott_, she thought. Already making her uncomfortable, way to go. She was almost relieved when the brunette continued the conversation. "Yeah, we just moved here and this is supposed to be my first day at this school. It's difficult because it is in the middle of the year so I stand out as a newbie, don't I?" Miley answered slowly, as if thinking everything she said through to prevent revealing too much information.

If you asked Lilly what made her say what she was going to say next, she would never be able to give you an answer, because it surprised her the most. "Oh, you sure _do_ stand out, but it's not because you are new."

Realizing what she had said, she blushed and looked away, not seeing the flicker of happiness in the brunette's eyes. A soft laugh escaped her and Lilly was entranced again. What's wrong with me, passed through her mind. "By the way, I'd really like you to show me around. You seem to be the only one who doesn't hate me," she mumbled.

Lilly wanted to say something to cheer her up, but she couldn't think of anything. Her mind was blank, so she just grabbed Miley's hand (Did she just flinch?) and pulled her along. "Let me see your timetable; maybe we have some classes together. That would be totally awesome," she tried. Miley took out a paper and handed it to her, muttering under her breath. "Would it, though?" The blond skater girl was rather hurt at this remark but pretended not to have heard anything. Little did she know Miley hadn't meant it like that, but was angry at herself for finding herself once more in the same situation just like _before_.

You had to admit, her classmates hadn't given her what classifies as a "warm welcome", so it was understandable she felt a bit angry or disappointed, Lilly told herself and checked Miley's classes.

As her eyes scanned the page, taking the new information in, a flicker of hope started to form within Lilly's heart. Maybe they could become friends after all. "Look, we do have most classes together and you only have to do without my company in P.E. and Economics. I know you'll miss me, but I think you can pull through, don't you think?" she said grinning at her new companion, partly because she wanted her to feel good, but mostly because she was happy herself. She wanted to befriend Miley and she didn't even have a clue as to why she had this irrational urge. It just felt like the most natural thing to do.

Miley was surprised by the blonde's good and funny nature and started to like the girl. Of course, she'd be careful to trust anyone yet, but she seemed honest. And she _had_ stepped in when these other girls had tried to bully her. Miley Stewart, who was also known as Hannah Montana worldwide but kept her second identity secret, decided to go along and hang out with this girl. It felt...safe, somehow. She _needed_ safe, she _wanted_ safe. It had been some time since she last felt she could trust anyone besides her father and own brother. A real friend...maybe it could work out that way, though Miley was careful not to get her hopes up in case she would be disappointed once more.

Both girls spend the rest of the day together and, soon enough, it was time for their lunch break. Miley had no idea where anything was, so the other girl showed her the way to the cafeteria and led her to the table she and her best friend usually sat at. Lilly hadn't seen Oliver the whole day so when he appeared a huge smile crept onto her face. She stood and ran to him to envelop him into a hug. He, in turn, opened his arms wide and held her tightly once she was in them. They always liked to do this, especially after arguing. Lilly took Oliver's hand and pulled him towards Miley, who hadn't had the time to stand up as fast as the exchange between the two best friends took place.

"Ollie, this is Miley. She's new, but don't worry, she's totally cool," Lilly introduced her new-found company. Oliver smiled at her politely, noticing how pretty she was. He wondered...

"I am Oliver, hey," he said. Miley just watched both of them. Nodding at Oliver, trying to come across as Lilly had introduced her – cool – but she couldn't stop herself from asking a question that had plopped into her mind the moment she saw the two teenagers hug. "So, he's your boyfriend?" she blurted.

Oliver and Lilly seemed caught by surprise and looked at each other for a moment. Then they both started laughing like mad. "What? Eww, no," Lilly said between giggles. Oliver put her arms around Lilly and they both clung to each other, still laughing.

"She's my best friend in the world, but I wouldn't date her, even if she paid me," Oliver said with a big grin receiving a playful smack on his arm from Lilly for this comment. Miley just shook her head, amused by their behaviour. They talked a lot during lunch and had a good time, and slowly Miley began to loosen up, feeling comfortable with these two friends. All was well until Amber appeared at Lilly's side.

Again, she put her hand on her shoulder, pressing tightly which hurt Lilly because of the scratches she had gotten earlier. "Hey, _skater girl_," she hissed as she walked past her and was gone. Lilly tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but Oliver saw her flinch.

"What was that? Lilly, please tell me you didn't got into trouble with Amber of all people?" His gaze was intense and full of worry.

"Oliver...calm down, I didn't do anything wrong..." Oliver still wasn't convinced.

"It's not a matter of right and wrong and you know it. Please, be careful," he said, showing how much he cared about his best friend. Miley stared at Lilly, wanting her to meet her gaze, but the blonde didn't budge. She was avoiding her eyes...Oh no, that couldn't be good.

"I know, Ollie, I know. I've been around long enough to know that you just don't mess with Amber. I am not stupid, thank you very much," she replied sarcastically and dropped the topic. They resumed their conversation, talking about everyday stuff and harmless things, smiling and laughing like nothing happened. Lilly noticed that Miley seemed tense and upset though, and it annoyed her. She did not want her to feel bad about anything. It was not her fault, for god's sake!

They were in their Biology classroom and it was the last class of the day. Miley and Lilly were trying to concentrate on the rather boring lecture their teacher was giving them. Miley stared at Lilly who sat right in front of her, thinking that if she looked hard enough, Lilly would notice and somehow talk to her. She wanted to know if she had gotten her "saviour" into trouble, and if she could do anything to help. The blonde seemed really eager to follow the class and was writing like a madman – every word the teacher said went straight to her notepad as if the words held some hidden meaning, the answers to secrets and mysterious questions. Of course, they didn't, and were just boring descriptions of the human nervous system but at least they were an excuse not to face Miley. Lilly wasn't sure how she wanted to react and how she was going to calm the brunette – how to convince her that everything was _fine_. Lilly didn't quite believe it herself. But then the bell rang, indicating the end of the school day for both girls. Miley immediately packed her things into her bag, not wasting a second until she saw that Lilly wasn't doing anything. She was waiting, staring out of the window.

The brunette went to her, softly whispering, "Lilly? I need to talk to you." Blue eyes met blue eyes. Miley saw nervousness in them, and something she'd call fear if she didn't know better. What was Lilly afraid of? Was there even anything to be scared of? What the hell was going on?

"Um, sure. Do you... want to talk, like, now?" the blonde said, catching Miley off guard. She hadn't thought things through, actually. Their teacher was already looking at them impatiently, wanting to go home himself.

"No... I don't think so. Do you think we can talk tomorrow?" she conceded hesitantly. Lilly nodded, packed her things an bolted out of the classroom, leaving Miley behind, who didn't know what to make of the other girl's attitude towards her all of sudden.

Once Miley got home, she told her father about how she had been bullied again and how these people had called her a hillbilly, right after arriving at the school. "I am so sorry, Miley. I really hoped it would be different this time," he said while patting her back lightly, trying to comfort his daughter. Miley was sitting on the couch, glumly thinking about her life and how she never seemed to belong anywhere she went to.

Still, there was one thing. "Daddy? It _is_ kind of different this time. There is this girl..." she began.

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I don't know when I am going to be able to update again, seeing as Christmas break's over and school started this week. My teachers are already handing out papers and lots of homeworks to do - but I will try to fit in some writing time for this :-)

Thank you for following the story and, as always,** please read & review**. It really makes me happy to read your thoughts on my writing!


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